RICHARDSON - The top 75 football players and coaches from the Lone Star Conference's first 75 years have been honored in a listing announced by league officials Wednesday as part of a year-long anniversary celebration.
The LSC, known to be the oldest collegiate athletic conference in the southwestern United States, is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year with a tribute to the outstanding teams and great sports personalities. An NCAA Division II conference with 15 member institutions in Oklahoma, New Mexico and Texas, the LSC was founded on April 25, 1931. The 1931-32 athletic seasons were the first for the league.
The Top 75 listing is an impressive compilation of well-known names throughout both college and professional football, with eight of the selections - Johnny Bailey, Rodney Cason, Darrell Green, Pierce Holt, Wilbert Montgomery, Dwayne Nix, Richard Ritchie and Gil Steinke ? having been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
At least six of the former LSC players on the list have gone on to win Super Bowl rings, including an amazing four rings by former Steeler Dwight White and three by former Bronco and Patriot Keith Traylor.
Twenty-nine members of the list participated during the LSC's famed 11-year national championship run in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). In 11 years from 1969 to 1979, LSC teams won 10 NAIA National Championships. Some of the greats from that era who made the list are Darrell Green, Harvey Martin, Dwight White, Montgomery and Clint Longley, plus coaches Gil Steinke, Wally Bullington and Jim Wacker.
Green left his mark in the LSC during the 1970s as a standout at A&I. The former seven-time All-Pro defensive back for the Washington Redskins played in three Super Bowls, winning in 1988 and 1992. He was also tabbed the World's Fastest Athlete in 1991.
Martin was named to three All-America teams when he helped East Texas State (now Texas A&M-Commerce) to the NAIA title in 1972. He went on to be a four-time Pro Bowl selection and start in three Super Bowls, winning in 1978 and losing in 1976 and 1979 for the Dallas Cowboys. Martin is one of five defensive players to win the Super Bowl MVP award.
White, an All-American defensive end at ETSU, played in four Super Bowls and won four Super Bowl rings as a member of the famed Pittsburgh Steelers “Steel Curtain” defense. He was also named to the Pro Bowl in 1973 and 1974.
Montgomery left ACU as its all-time leading rusher after leading the Wildcats to the 1973 national title. He set a collegiate record with 70 touchdowns in his career before playing in the NFL. In eight seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles, he set seven team rushing records, received two Pro Bowl invitations and led the NFL with 2,012 all-purpose yards in 1979.
Longley, a standout at ACU, led the Wildcats to the 1973 NAIA national championship. He went on to play in the NFL for three years. Longley was with the Cowboys for two seasons, including the 1976 Super Bowl team.
Steinke, the longtime Texas A&I head coach, finished his 22-year career with a record of 182-61-4, while Southwest Texas (now Texas State) head coach Jim Wacker led the Bobcats to 42-8 record which included three LSC titles and a pair of NCAA Division II national championships in his four years at the helm.
Gene Upshaw, a former Javelina offensive lineman, is another notable name on the list. He is the Executive Director of the NFL Players Association, after a successful 16-year pro career as a player. He appeared in six Pro Bowls and was named Lineman of the Year in the AFC in 1973 and 1974. In 1977, he was voted top lineman in the NFL. Upshaw is the only player in NFL history to play in three Super Bowls in three different decades ? in the 60's, 70's and 80's.
Another TAMUK lineman on the list is Jermane Mayberry, a first round draft choice of the Eagles who was All-Pro in 2002 and played in the 2005 Super Bowl. The former Javelina standout is currently with the New Orleans Saints.
Holt, a three-time All-American for ASU, played for the 49ers in Super Bowls in 1989 and 1990, winning both. He was also a Pro Bowl pick in 1992.
Two players who made the LSC's Top 75 list are both current starters for the NFL's hottest team this year as Danieal Manning and Roberto Garza are both enjoying key roles for the undefeated Chicago Bears after playing collegiately for ACU and TAMUK, respectively.
